Archive for November, 2008

So, this is becoming a traditional blog post. Remember 2007 and 2006? This year, the award goes to the card from my daughter, which T picked out, obviously. It’s very appropriate for today! (and yesterday.) (and the day before.) (and so on…)

It took a long time for me to get my creative space in order. When T and I both worked from home, we shared this room together. Last year when we finished our basement, we built him an office. It was empty until this past summer—until my week of reading deprivation, actually. With no blogs or television, I went to work clearing out my space. I moved T’s things down into his office. He had a built-in desk, so we donated his to the Mission. I gave away fabric, recycled tons of paper and freecycled a bunch of stuff.

The dresser is T’s from when he was younger and it’s now for my fabric storage. The little wooden pantry is from our kitchen in Maryland. That’s where I keep all the little sewing supplies that can’t sit out with a toddler around. My sewing table is a granite table top that I’ve had since I moved into my first apartment on my own.

We’ve been thinking about getting some matching furniture for me—something inexpensive from Target or Office Depot. It would be nice to have everything match, but I’m really liking this eclectic look. I’m surrounded by lots of memories!

As I write this, it is 19 degrees. Two days ago it was 60 degrees. Nebraska weather sure is weird that way! When Lauren told me how warm it was going to be on Wednesday, we both agreed that we had to get outside with the kids. The last time we went for a walk, though, M was a little antsy. She didn’t want to be in the stroller; she wanted to walk next to us. Then she refused to get in the car to go home. I was worried we’d repeat the same thing.

Turned out, Wednesday was perfect. She was fine in the stroller. Great, in fact! We walked to the playground and she did the swing and slide and rode the horse and duck. When it was time to leave, there was minimal fuss. Nothing a few animal crackers couldn’t fix. Lauren and I decided to try and fit in lunch, too. We didn’t have a lot of time, though, and M is a slow eater. I gave her a box of raisins while we ate our noodles and she was totally fine. (She had a turkey sandwich when we got home.) No tantrums when we left or when it was time to get in the car to go home.

The afternoon was also great. She actually took a nap during quiet time! We cooked dinner together and she ate all of her black beans and rice. Even chicken! After dinner, I went to knitting group and treated myself with one of those yummy caramel cider drinks. M was an angel for her dad. They read books, she got her jammies on without a fuss, brushed her teeth and went to bed with no problems.

Living with a two year old is different every day. She’s learning how to express herself and make her opinions known. She’s flexing her independence muscles, so to speak. I love to see these changes in her. All of these come with frustrations, though. Together we try to navigate a happy medium between what she wants and what we need to do. Wednesday was like toddler syzygy. It was as if all of the stars aligned to bring us a perfect day.

My aunt asked me if I would make a baby blanket for a friend of hers. I had been itching to make this Purl Bee blanket for awhile, so we decided on this pattern. The family is in Arizona, and we agreed flannel might be a better choice than fleece.

I followed the pattern exactly except that I basted the ric rac on before sewing everything together. It was my first time using ric rac, and I was a little nervous about getting everything to line up. The basting worked perfectly and I’m really happy with how it turned out.

The only thing left to do is give it a good ironing, but I’ll do that just before shipping. Right now it’s staying folded in a plastic bag. The flannel is like a magnet to all of the colored, loose thread bits I’ve got floating around!

So I’ve been trying come up with an idea that makes use of the felted sweater sleeves from my totes and I figured it out. Scarves!

The beauty of these is that they give you all the warmth of wool without having to wear it next to your skin. (I know at least one person for whom this would be perfect.) I am going to make a bunch of these for my etsy shop and will try to keep some of them in neutral color schemes. Dads, brothers and husbands need hand-sewn crafty goodness in their lives, too! More photos over at etsy.

Tonight, over at Etsy Labs, there is a Trunk Show featuring handmade items from all over the world. I belong to the Lincoln, Nebraska team, and we will be featured from 7-8 pm CT. All of the members of the Lincoln Handmade Team are so talented — from jewelry making and paper crafting to knitting, crochet, sewing and even soap! Check out all of the wonderful handmade gifts available and then head over to the Trunk Show at 7pm CT for special discounts and prizes. We’re in the “Teams” room!

During the month of November, whipup.net is featuring tutorials, ideas and stories for refashioning, re-using, up-cycling and recycling items made of paper, cloth, yarn or plastic. I submitted a tutorial for turning prescription bottles into useful storage containers and it was posted today! Go check it out!

Quiet political time: As soon as the speeches were over Tuesday night, I turned off the tv. The last year and a half seems like it was so loud. Negative campaigns. Talking heads arguing. Cranky friends and family. I felt like I needed to tune in so I could absorb as much information as possible to make the best decision. But now, I need a clear head.

Quiet toddler time: The past few days have been loud and kind of wild. Lots of running, jumping, screeching and not listening. Tuesday was filled with tantrums that I haven’t seen in months. We’re going to lay low for awhile. Read books. Color. Watch Thomas, Clifford and George.

Quiet creative time: I’ve put too much on my plate and I’m struggling to get it all done. All of the pressure I am feeling is pressure I’ve put on myself. My to-do list is too ambitious. I have too many ideas I want to pursue. I need to prioritize what’s important. I also need to make time to re-energize my spirit.

Does anyone else out there need some quiet time? How do you plan on spending it?